Yanbu (Saudi Arabia) – An eternal legend. The veteran Spanish driver Carlos Sainz won this Friday, January 19, at the age of 61, the fourth Dakar rally of his career, at the end of the 12th and final stage in Yanbu, in Saudi Arabia.
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The Madrid driver, who gives the Audi brand its first title, was already the oldest winner of a Dakar: his previous triumphs were in 2010 (Volkswagen), 2018 (Peugeot) and 2020 (Mini).
Sainz beat the Belgian Guillaume De Mevius (Toyota) and the Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (Prodrive) in more than an hour, finally third, and winner of the last stage.
“I'm very happy, it's a very special victory, with a very special car and an incredible team. Audi has made a totally different car, it was difficult, but we achieved victory,” said Sainz in French as soon as he finished.
Sainz had ended the race on Thursday in the penultimate stage, when his main rival, the Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, suffered mechanical problems and was left without options.
After sealing his victory in Yanbu this Friday, the Spaniard was received with applause, with his son Carlos Sainz Junior, Formula 1 driver for the Ferrari team, taking him in his arms to get him off the hood of his car.
Leading the rally since the sixth stage, a two-day journey in the Empty Quarter desert, Sainz, double world rally champion (1990 and 1992), managed his lead in the second week thanks to the work of his teammates at Audi, the Swede Mattias Ekström and the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel.
That key moment removed a good number of favorites from the race for victory, including the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Prodrive), defending champion, the Saudi Saoudien Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) and Peterhansel.
“We had good speed, good rhythm and good strategy, a great team, three fantastic teammates, we did everything well,” he said about the keys to his victory.
The Spaniard did not reveal his plans for the next edition: “Now I am going to think about the victory, there will be time to reflect.”
Brabec, second crown in motorcycles
On motorcycles, the American Ricky Brabec (Honda) won his second Dakar. The 32-year-old driver beat the Botswana Ross Branch (Hero) by 10 minutes and 53 seconds, and the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) by 12 minutes and 25 seconds, who is on the podium for the first time at the age of 33.
“I still have no words, I rode very well, the team was incredible. I don't know how we did it to make such a perfect Dakar, my bike never fell,” declared Brabec, the first American to conquer the Dakar, in 2020.
This 46th edition of the legendary rally in the motorcycle category was especially close, with four drivers fighting for victory almost until the end.
Brabec took first place overall in the sixth stage and from then on he diligently kept it under pressure from Branch.
The last stage in Yanbu was won by Argentine Kevin Benavides (KTM), who finished at the foot of the podium in the general classification.
Cristina Gutiérrez makes history
But Carlos Sainz's was not the only Spanish victory in this Dakar. Cristina Gutierrezalong with his co-pilot Pablo Moreno, made history by becoming the first Spanish woman to win a title in the Dakar, in the Challenger category.
Cristina Gutiérrez took advantage of the mechanical problems suffered by the leader before the last stage, Mitch Guthrie, and became the first woman to win a title in the Dakar since the German Jutta Kleinschmidt, winner in 2001 in cars.
“Always, always in the Dakar you have to fight until the end, we have been pushing until the end, anything can happen until the last kilometer. I don't believe it, I don't know what is happening, it's surreal, I'm very excited,” she declared the Spanish already from the finish line and when she was only waiting for the official confirmation of the victory, which would arrive minutes later after Guthrie's arrival at the finish line.
In the quad category, the Argentine Manuel Andújar achieved his second title, after having debuted in 2021. With his victory he avoided the third consecutive title of the Frenchman Alexandre Giroud.
The 2024 Dakar was marked by the death of Spanish motorcycle racer Carles Falcón at the age of 45, a little more than a week after suffering serious injuries in a fall during the second stage.
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